Pressure Testing Technique

In pressure testing, the object to be tested contains helium gas, the pressure of which is greater than one atmosphere. A “sniffer” probe is connected to the leak detector through a flexible hose. When the sniffer probe approaches a leak, the escaping helium enters the vacuum system by way of the sniffer probe and is detected by the mass spectrometer tube. This method of leak detection is useful for testing large tanks and other objects which are not easily evacuated or which cannot withstand the stress of internal vacuum. However, this method is less sensitive than vacuum testing because the sniffer will take in some surrounding air, which dilutes the helium concentration taken into the leak detector.

Vacuum Instruments Corporation is a pioneer in providing state-of-the-art leak detection solutions for diverse applications and industries. Our systems have ensured the safety and performance of countless products that we use in our daily lives from the cars we drive to the air conditioners in our houses, the pacemakers in our bodies, and the satellites we launch into space.